This Can't Be It
by Sqully
Summary: COMPLETE! PJ, major Dawson bashing; This is my version of what should've happened at the end of Longest Day. Really cute, R&R! AU
1. Chapter One

This Can't Be It

Chapter One

Spoilers: End of the third season, well a little, I make up most of it.

This is my sorry ass excuse for what should've happened at the end of The Longest Day, just my version. Cause I hated the way it ended. Hell everybody should've. The first song verse is from "Hanging by a Moment" the next verses are from "I Believe in Love".

"_I know this must be the hardest thing right now."_

"_No, I wasn't concerned-"_

"_Yes you were."_

"_It doesn't does it?"_

"_God I'm so sorry . . ."_

"_Thanks for protecting me."_

"_You know, don't you? Yes I know."_

"_I don't think you're in any position to talk about what's fair . . . you were my best friend."_

"_I still am . . ."_

"_Oh what, are you in love? Is that what this is?"_

"Go ahead, ask 'em, because I can't stand to look at 'em anymore." As Dawson storms into his house, all Pacey can do is stare at Joey's back; even as she abrubtly turns and follows him inside. Pacey just stands there, staring at the closing screen door.

_I'm falling even more in love with you_

_Letting go of all I've held on to_

_I'm standing here until you make me move_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

_I'm living for the only thing I know_

_I'm running and not quite sure where to go_

_And I don't know what I'm diving in to_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

"Ever have one of those days you wish you could live all over again." She's trying hard not to cry, along with Pacey, although he hides it a little better than her.

"Yeah." His voice is husky with unshed tears.

"You?"

"Yeah." She answers, nodding.

"So what would you have done differently?"

"I don't know . . . everything." His eyes close, he knows what's coming.

"Nothing at all. We'd still end up right back here, and I don't think I know where here is." He can only answer her.

"Here is right where we started." 'Don't cry Joey, don't cry Joey' she chants over and over again in her head. To distract herself, she instead glances over to True Love, taking a deep breath.

"Well, she looks beautiful in the water."

"This morning was really just a formatlity, I still don't know if she's seaworthy."

"She looks pretty solid."

"I don't know, I think I see some stormy weather ahead." 'Don't cry Joesphine Potter!' Joey takes a deep shaky breath, trying to calm herself down.

"Pacey . . ." She looks up to him, pausing.

"It's over isn't it?" The hurt, in his voice, just kills her, but she must do it.

"It has to be." Her words don't do anything for the throbbing pain in her chest. He licks his bottom lip, nodding, looking away, at the moving water below them.

"Maybe you should be the first one to go this time." Tears flood her eyes as she is reminded of the happiness that had been present that morning, and so Joey exhales, nodding; and scoots off the railing, turning away. Missing the lone tear slipping down his puffy cheek. After about ten feet she turns around, hands in pockets, but he's gone. This can't be it, she thinks to herself, crying freely now. This can't be it . . .

_I made a promise to myself_

_Locked it way deep down inside_

_Told my heart we'd wait it out _

_Swore we'd never compromise _

_Oh I'd rather be alone_

_Like I am tonight_

_I'd settle for the kind of love _

_That fades before the morning light _

I knew she would do it. In a way, it was inevitable. Even from the start, I knew it could never work out. I had hoped it would, but Dawson got in the way for his own selfish reasons. I want her so bad, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. It's like we're puppets in his show, he controls us. Something goes awry, he punishes, changes things to his liking. Which isn't fair. I mean come on, he was yelling at her, to her face. And she goes after him. Like always. The Dawson and Joey Dynamic. I wonder what the hell I had been thinking in the first place.

"_She is never going to love you like she loves him, okay?"_

I didn't want to believe that, but it's true in the end. I tried to push past that. But it always comes back to bite you in the ass. My moving feet hit gravel, and I realize that I've made it home without throwing myself off a cliff or something. Progress . . . my head shakes sadly as I make it through the front door and up the stairs. My room doesn't seem so inviting, but I venture forth anyway, pulling my jacket off my arms. I'm in the doorway when I hear it. A sniffle. Uh . . . that's when I see her, curled up in a ball underneath the window, crying her eyes out silently into her knees. The site just breaks my heart, but I'm not sure if she knows I'm here, or she does and just hasn't made any movement yet.

"Jo?" I whisper, shutting the door behind me and tossing my coat onto my bed. She raises her head to stare at me. Her eyes are bloodshot and tears trickle down her pale cheeks uncaringly. Biting my lip, I kneel down in front of her. She just inhales shakily and goes to wipe her eyes on her sleeve, but I grab her arms. She meets my eyes again, which hold a guilty, please kill me now look. I just pull her to me, and she gladly wraps her arms around my neck tightly, continuing to cry into my neck. My only response is to hug her trembling body closer to me.

_Silence staring me in the face _

_And I finally heard it's voice _

_Seemed to softly say_

_That in love you have a choice _

_Today I got the answer _

_And there's a world of truth behind it _

_Love is out there waiting somewhere _

_You just have to go and find it_

We sit here like this for a while, Joey despertly trying to hault this onslaught of tears, while I try to make something of this mess we've gotten ourselves into. Actually, the mess _I_ got us into. I want to do something more, but all I do is hold her. There's a sniffle, and she pulls away to look into my eyes, whiping the tears off her pale cheeks. I don't think I've ever seen so much guilt in her big brown eyes, or misery. She then speaks, her voice trembling, fresh tears escaping.

"I'm so sorry Pacey. Through this whole time I didn't even stop t-t-to think about your fe-feelings, which isn't fair. I-I-" She breaks off, burying her face into my chest once again. My arms tighten about her, trying to give her some comfort. But again she pulls away, breathing in deeply, calming herself down while I rub her back soothingly. She tucks some stray hair behind one ear, then lays that hand back on my shoulder clutching the material, her eyes trained on my other shoulder. There's silence for a few minutes while Joey calms down, and then she finally looks up into my eyes.

"I," She has to take another deep breath, "Am so, so sorry Pacey, and not just for me. For Dawson too, he, he." She has to stop to brush some tears off her face.

"He what?" I prod gently. She bites her lip, moving her eyes away.

"He made me choose." She whispers, almost as if hell would open up if anybody else heard it. My eyes get big slowly, then narrow again, anger towards the guy I thought was my best friend.

"He what?" I ask again, confused, or just trying to understand what the hell that guy is trying to do to her. I can see more tears coming, but she holds them back.

"He told me that I can't have both of you." That bastard. "Either you as my boyfriend, or him as my friend, not both." She has that guilty look in her eyes again as she meets mine.

"But I wanted to pick you, Pacey, but he's been my best friend for so long, and I, I, I-" She falls into my chest again, but jumps away again, suddenly scared. She tries to push back as she speaks.

"No-I-I'll go now, you probably hate me by now." The last couple of words were quieter and quieter and rushed. Oh no you don't. Grabbing her arms, I pull her back, and she struggles weakly with me.

"Jo-Joey, I don't hate you, I _don't_ hate you. I couldn't if I tried." Collapsing against me, she mutters something incoherently into my chest, and I wrap both arms tightly about her, never wanting to let go.

_I believe in love, I believe in love_

_Love that's real, love that's strong_

_Love that lives on and on_

_Yes I believe in love_

That bastard doesn't even hear me coming, good. Paybacks a bitch. I reach him and he looks up in time to watch my fist connect with his jaw. I feel no remorse as my best friend of ten years hits the pathetic earth in front of his pathetic house. I just stand there, clenching and unclenching my stinging hand. He finally pushes himself up, rubbing his lower cheek, glaring at me.

"Don't you think _I _should be the one punching _you _in the face?" I barely mange to stop myself from advancing on him.

"After what you did to her, no, I think that was pretty justified." The "innocent" confusion on his face makes me want to sock him again. I cut him off before he can speak again, and I'm pointing my finger at his chest.

"If you so much as approaches her again, you'll have a twin bruise on the other side of you pathetic face to match the other one." I begin to turn around when he confronts me.

"You have no rig-"

"The fuck I don't, these are her words, not mine. You just upset her so much she asked me to. Well, the punching thing was all me. Your welcome for that by the way." He just keeps his steady glare of hatred, not believeing me, obviously.

"And, if you do what I just warned you not to do, she gave me permission to sock you . . . again." This time I get all the way around and walk back down to the dirt road, making my way to his dock where Joey's boat is. After I get in, I watch him turn back around and walk back inside. Good . . . maybe he'll stay there this time.

_I believe in love, I believe in love_

_Love that's real, love that's strong_

_Love that lives on and on_

_Yes I believe in love_

_Yes I believe in love . . ._

Should I continue on? Please review and tell me! I love reviews! But can live without them, you can also email me! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter Two

This Can't Be It

Chapter Two

Song lyrics from "How was I to know" by Reba McEntire. If you read the lyrics you'll be surprised how much they touch home.

"You shouldn't have hit him." Pacey just rolls his eyes.

"Prick deserved it, and you shouldn't be defending him." She sighs, and continues to gently press the frozen bag of peas on his bruising knuckles. Wincing, he turns his head away, facing the window where the darkening sky is present. Pacey looks back to her.

"Want me to drive you home?" Looking up to him sternly, she responds, trying to hide something.

"Once I'm finished up, sure." He can tell, it's upset her.

"Joey, look, I'm sorry, I sho-"

"Didn't you _just_ tell _me _not to defend him?" Licking his lips, Pacey takes the package off and tosses onto Doug's couch. She opens her mouth to yell at him, but he cuts her off. And takes her hands and pulls her down onto his lap.

"I know I shouldn't have punched him, but, _but_," she closes her mouth before he can barate her, "I wasn't thinking clearly, I know he's your best friend and everything . . ." There's a minute long silence before she wraps her arms around his neck and lowers her head to his shoulder.

"Was . . . was my best friend."

Dawson Leery, Protector of the Kind. Well, that's what Pacey had called him once when they were seven.

"Now I'm protector of what I want, whats min-"

"She isn't yours." He spins towards the voice. Jen. Her hands are clasped behind her back. Her look is one of sympathy, and slight irriation.

"Excuse me?" Irriation grows at the anger in his voice, so she nears him. Her black boots making a clonking noise on the wooden dock.

"Joey isn't yours. Hasn't been for some time. I understand you have the right to be angry, but who are you really angry at?" He inhales, and freezes. Who am I really mad at? Dawson just doesn't know, but he does know something.

"Pacey." She shakes her head disgracefully.

"Pacey? You're best friend, okay male friend, of ten years, you . . . hate him, right now?" The last part she says slowly, trying to get him to open his stubborn-movie-producer-I've-got-a-stick-rammed-up-my-ass-eyes. Dawson sighs loudly, and faces the setting sun. After crossing his arms across his chest he takes a deep breath.

"I don't hate him per say, I want to, I really really want to, but I can't." The blonde smiles, mission accomplished. Walking over to him, she stands next to him, gazing at the same site.

"You can't do this to them."

"Do what?"

"Break them apart," Eyes close, "They've got to do this, and you cannot get in the way." Dawson doesn't respond.

"This has nothing to do with you, I hate to say it, but-"

"It has everything to do with me!" His scream echos on after she steps away from him, staring at his heaving chest and clenched fists.

"They, are ruining my life. It has everything to do with me. And I'm going to go fix it, right now." Jen's eyes get big and she moves to stop him.

"No Dawson you can't! You can't!"

"Shut up." She can do nothing but fight the tears as he runs off toward the Potter B&B.

_My world revolved around you _

_Every word was a promise I was hangin' on _

_Swept up inside a whirlwind _

_I just couldn't see the end till you were gone _

_I thought I would fall apart _

_With shattered dreams and a broken heart _

_Scramblin' in the dark_

"If you don't ice that again tomorrow morning, I will hunt you down, understand?" Pacey just smirks.

"And how will you know, exactly?" Ignoring his triumphet grin, she leans toward him, in the passenger seat.

"I have spies everywhere." This makes him chuckle and lean forward. Their lips meet for a brief second, before they pull apart.

"Come on, I'll walk you to your door, madam." Near the end, he had taken up a French accent. Smiling sofly, and shaking her head, she steps out of the truck and starts to follow him inside. Hands together, hearts together, about to reach the porch when they hear footsteps behind them. Pace turns around in time to find a fist flying towards his face. Joey screams as he hits the ground. She quickly kneels next to him, glaring up at Dawson with angry tears flooding her eyes.

"You bastard." She despertly tries to go after him, but her arm is grabbed by a groaning Pacey. Both stand and glare at the young man in front of them. The boy they grew up with and were friends with forever. Can this be it?

_How was I to know _

_That I'd be O.K. _

_Thought I'd lose it all when you walked away _

_How was I to know _

_I would be this strong _

_I had what it takes all along _

_How was I to know_

"I don't get it Joey, he punches me, its okay. I punch him, I'm the bad guy? Explain this to me please, because I'm having a hard time!" Her whole body is trembling with a mixure of emotions. Rage. Sadness. Love. A love that she hadn't realized until now. Composing herself, she stands taller, gripping Pacey's hand tighter.

"I, know this must be hard for you to cope with, _Dawson_. But you don't run my life, or own me. Believe it or not, but I do have a mind of my own." You can tell he's breaking; looking between the two of them. As well as catching the conscending tone she used while saying his name.

"And, I want you to get off my sister's property right now." He just stares at her in shock and takes a step toward her.

"You're not serious. Pacey is just messing with you, he can't possibly . . . he can't." Dawson can only watch in horror the love of his life slowly looks up to the tall boy standing next to her. The one she fell for. Blinking slowly she just stands still; the light breeze ruffling her hair.

_What I was so afraid of _

_Turned out to be my freedom in disguise _

_Now I know what I'm made of _

_Guess it just took some time to realize _

_I was blind I couldn't tell _

_Put too much faith in someone else _

_Gave up on myself _

Facing each other, oblivious now to Dawson, both swallow hard. Biting her lip she reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck, his around her back and waist.

"I love you." She whispers to him, inches from his face, emerald eyes glued to cobalt ones. Attempting to not cry, Pacey gulped.

"I love you too, and I've never been so sure of anything else in my whole life." Dawson watched as they kissed then embraced, never wanting to let go. Sighing with a sad look in his eyes, he turned around and left. Feet carrying him away from the life he thought he had known. The most familiar place except for his own home. Hands stuffed in pockets, his siloette disappears down the dirt road. Looking up to the sky, he smiles.

"I guess this is it."

_How was I to know _

_That I'd be O.K. _

_Thought I'd lose it all when you walked away _

_How was I to know _

_I would be this strong _

_I had what it takes all along _

_How was I to know _

_How was I to know _

_That I'd be O.K. _

_Thought I'd lose it all when you walked away _

_How was I to know _

_I would be this strong _

_I had what it takes all along _

_How was I to know _

_How was I to know. . ._

Was that okay? God I hope so, I think it sucks, but please give me your opinion. Meant to be short and sweet!


End file.
